For those plants and animals that don't migrate south for winter, a lot of preparation goes into getting ready for winter. When it comes to dealing with winter, plants and animals know things we humans don't.

As Europeans began to look seriously towards Maine as a desirable economic region, there were many debates about who owned or controlled the varied and plentiful natural resources, especially timber. In the mid-1800’s, the timber harvest from the communities in the far north woods traveled via the river communities to the prosperous coast where the wealth of natural resources set sail for the world beyond. Today, these distinct regions remain intact, each with a different story to tell about how history has played itself out since that time.

The first and longest lasting period of Maine’s history is the world of the Native American, stretching from the retreat of the last Ice Age, 12,000 years to the present. People of the Dawn tells the story of the dynamic people who’ve inhabited the landscape of Maine.

Land disputes, tensions about resource allocation and European wars combined to trigger intense strife and armed conflict between Maine's English, French and Native populations. The Frontier Wars were a series of six wars spanning nearly a century that devastated populations in Maine, and had a permanent and chilling effect on the relations between English settlers and Native Americans.

In the 1600s, European settlers left everything they knew to take advantage of Maine’s abundant resources. Despite back-breaking work, a harsh climate, and cultural clashes, they successfully carved out a new life for themselves. But by the end of the century, most of them would leave Maine in fear and live for years as war refugees.

As human activity silently globalizes our world, our modern day ecology is under onslaught from spreading alien organisms. These plants and animals are capable of moving aggressively into a habitat and monopolizing resources to the detriment of other species. Can scientists help us win the war against this bio-invasion?

Because spring comes so late to northern New England, things have to happen quickly and profusely. Spring is the time of year that wildlife and plants come to life again and get right to the business of creating new life.